Separating beauties from beasts

Essie Mesmerize Swatches & Review

Essie Mesmerize was the first Essie nail polish that really got my attention. Up until they put this out, Essie mainly churned out very traditional hues like reds, pinks, whites, and sheers.

I remember how blown away all us nailphiles were when Essie put out a blue nail polish! It made me so excited and curious to see how they would explore new colour territory.

This is a nice blue, sure, but I mainly bought this because of what it represented – the shift from conservative to modern. As a nail-polish collector/lover, I just had to have it because it was an important piece of lacquer history.

P.S.Every single time I look at this polish, I always have this train of thought: Mesmerize – Hypnotize – Notorious B.I.G…and then I end up singing, “Biggie, Biggie, Biggie, can’t you see? Sometimes your words just hypnotize me. And I just love your flashy ways.”

Mesmerize by Essie is a primary blue that’s bold without being dark. This kind of blue never gets accidentally mistaken for a black, and that’s why I like it. It’s not so faint that it looks like it was munching on celery all day, but it’s not so dark that it looks vampy.

Mesmerize by Essie has a creme finish, which I think is very fitting. Instead of throwing around a lot of bells and whistles when Essie surprised us all with this hue, they still kept it simple and very true to their brand’s clean appeal.

Application & Formula

The formula on this one was great! It was so pigmented even with just a single coat, but I used two to even everything out and for full opacity.

The consistency of the polish was wonderful because it was easy to control, and it was thick enough so you don’t have to worry about flooding your cuticles.

Pros

Great primary blue creme polish

Very pigmented

Easy-to-work-with formula

Cons

There’s a con? (Nope, I can’t think of any. This was a major breakthrough for Essie, and I commend them completely on taking the chance. Ever since then, they’ve continued to push their brand’s limits.)

Final Verdict: 9/10

Not only is Essie Mesmerize a colour that I found really easy to wear, but I think it’s very simple and flattering enough for nearly anyone.

And what I keep harping on is that I love what this colour represents. It shows that even a more conservative brand like Essie is still keeping an open mind and listening to women’s (and men’s) desire to express themselves more creatively with their nails.

Did a brand ever put out of a polish that really surprised you because it was uncharacteristic of the company? Do you like blue cremes? Or do you need some shimmer, glitter, or flakies to make it more wearable?

Wow, I’m surprised that you’ve never tried any Essie polishes. Lately they’ve been really breaking out of their box. Heck, they even have flakies and glitters! Mesmerize is still a standout in the Essie arsenal for me.

This is such a pretty blue. I’m definitely a blue creme lover and I love it on you. Oh, Mary, now you have another song in my head. I was bopping my head while reading the words, lol.MariJo recently posted: Mavala – Daring Pink

Thank you so much! And I think blues look so great on your skin tone, too. That’s the beauty of blues – they seem to work with a wide variety of skin tones. Very easy to sport. Haha, sorry for the ear worm. Now, let’s bob our heads together.

Wow! Really pretty! Does it have a just a hint of shimmer or is that my eyes playing tricks on me? Maybe if I didn’t have my nose pressed to the monitor it would help.

It is nice to see Essie stepping outside their comfort zone. I’ve avoided most of their polish for a long time for that very reason…they always seem to do so many neutrals and while I can’t speak for everyone, I’m anything but stuck in neutral.

It would look pretty with shimmer, but nope, this just has a standard creme finish as far as I could tell. (I need to invest in a magnifying glass. Seriously! I think it would make it easier for me to see all the slight polish nuances.)

Yes, I know you! When it comes to polish, you put the pedal to the metal!

I love it when Essie does fun polishes because my expectations are so low—if China Glaze or OPI do a color like this it’s kind of boring because they’re known for their exotic offerings, but the only other Essie polish I’ve been much interested in is Sag Harbor, because for some reason it’s the only blue-grey polish I’ve found. Lots of greige and cement-grey polishes, but nothing else with a bluish tint.thecandiedmango recently posted: No words, just gigantic pictures

I loved Mesmerize too!! Your part about the song lyric made me chuckle, I’m the same way! Some of the new polish names make me feel like I’m in a pop culture vacuum with all the references to books, music, cartoons and video games! Just as an FYI if you have an Ulta near you- their color Blue Streak is very similar to Mesmerize but their website shows it darker IMO than it really is. I have Blue Streak and love it too- another great royal blue! P.S. Essie Dive Bar is a staple for me (buy it- I promise you’ll love it if you don’t already!) xo, E.ManiCuriously recently posted: Wet n’ Wild CHROME!! You’re gonna need shades! (pic heavy)

When it comes to blue shades I like them cream best (or with a subtle something).
I am more and more a fan of everything blue. My favourite Essie blue is “Bobbin off baubles”!!! A bit darker/murkier navy shadeMarta recently posted: Divas & Drama Final Thoughts